A 'beds in sheds' landlord has been fined £25,000 for ignoring orders to stop illegally letting out a garage and outbuilding in Heston.

Masood Ashraf, of Chaucer Avenue, Cranford, admitted breaching an enforcement notice issued by Hounslow Council back in 2006.

Initial inspections of the property at 19 North Hyde Lane suggested he had complied, but a follow-up visit found tenants living in the buildings - one of whom claimed to have been paying rent since 2005.

Ashraf was sentenced yesterday (Thursday, July 11) at Kingston Crown Court, where he was fined £25,000 and ordered to pay £5,000 costs plus a £2,000 victim surcharge.

The council estimated Ashrad had pocketed at least £85,200 from illegally letting the buildings between April 2006 and March 2014, and the judge said the offence was 'as flagrant and as deliberate a breach as there could be'.

Councillor Richard Foote, Hounslow's cabinet member for community protection, said: "Planning rules are there for a reason, and we expect everyone to comply with them.

"This level of fine shows that the courts take this matter incredibly seriously, and won't tolerate people lining their own pockets by ignoring the law.

"I hope this sends a strong signal that we are determined to crack down on rogue landlords across the borough, and will use whatever legal means necessary to stop their unscrupulous practices."